"Anyone. Anywhere. Anytime." This was the tagline for the University of Southern Mississippi athletics program for a few years in the early 2000s. While this marketing campaign has since ended, the mindset this slogan encapsulates has always been, and continues to be, at the heart of Southern Miss athletics. This spirit was put on display again this past weekend, as Southern Miss played one of the best games in its history and defeated another Goliath.
From the beginning, Southern Miss has held a reputation as a giant-slayer. Whether it's ending Bear Bryant's 57-game home winning streak in 1982, defeating #6 Florida State on the road in 1989 (featuring a Quarterback by the name of Brett Favre, no less), or upsetting #7 Houston in the 2011 Conference USA Championship Game, the Golden Eagles have demonstrated a willingness and an ability to effectively compete against any opponent, big or small, throughout the program's history.
This tenacity was on display again this past weekend, when Southern Miss went on the road to take on Kentucky. While the Wildcats are far from an SEC powerhouse, the size and resources of that program still dwarf those of Southern Miss by a considerable margin. Add in the fact that the Golden Eagles would be playing in a hostile environment and you can forgive anyone for doubting our prospects for securing a win.
That said, Southern Miss wouldn't be where it is today without having prevailed in such games time and again. Every Southern Miss fan knows the history of the program and the ability of our teams to deliver hard-fought wins even in the most daunting of situations, and this year's squad is no different: Not only does it have the talent it needs to compete, but it also possesses the resolve to fight to the end, no matter what.
That resolve was tested early. The normal Week 1 jitters, the pressure that comes with playing in a hostile environment, and Kentucky's superior size took its toll on Southern Miss in the first half, which at one point saw the Golden Eagles down by a score of 35-10. Hanging with a bigger opponent on the road is one thing, but a 25-point comeback against the same? Let's just say even this Southern Miss fan was ready to throw in the towel.
Good thing I wasn't asked to lead this team. Unlike yours truly, the Golden Eagles didn't entertain the notion of giving up and instead came back swinging. The offense, led by QB Nick Mullens and RB Ito Smith, lit up the scoreboard with 34 straight points, whilst the defense, led by DL Dylan Bradley, held Wildcats to nothing. In the end, the game was a 44-35 victory for Southern Miss and the largest come-from-behind win in the program's history.
While this win was exciting (to put it lightly), it comes by no means as a surprise: This kind of grit is in the Southern Miss DNA. You see, Southern Miss is a place where the underdogs, the misfits, the rejects and all who want to play hard for a chance at success can come to compete. Southern Miss is where that determination and spirit is channeled into one victory after another over the likes of Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Florida State, Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Houston, TCU, Louisville, Kansas, Virginia, and now Kentucky, even as the gulf between the "big" and "small" schools continues to widen. Southern Miss is where you'll find that the college football spirit is alive and well.
To put it simply, Southern Miss is where Eagles dare.
